Revision as of 02:29, 30 December 2008

The Game Boy (Japanese: ゲームボーイ, Game Boy), Nintendo's flagship handheld console, was first released in 1989, and even today is the best selling handheld console of all time. Gunpei Yokoi is credited with playing a key role in its development and release.

Versions

Game Boy

The first Game Boy was released in 1989. The first Game Boy was large and gray, with a monotone dot matrix screen and monaural sound. It was playable for an average of 35 hours with four AA batteries. Many peripherals were released for it through its time, the more popular ones being the Game Boy Printer and Game Boy Camera. The Game Boy was also later released with five differently colored bodies.

Game Boy Pocket

The Game Boy Pocket was released in 1996 as a replacement for the original Game Boy. The Game Boy Pocket had a smaller frame, a larger screen, and a higher resolution display. Despite its screen improvements, the Game Boy Pocket display was still in monotone and the sound remained the same as it was in the original Game Boy. Another somewhat minor improvement was that the system took two AAA batteries instead of four AA, effectively helping to lighten its weight.

Game Boy Light

The Game Boy Light was a system released exclusively in Japan in 1997. It was similar in all ways to the Game Boy Pocket with the main difference being an indigo back-lit screen. The Game Boy light uses 2 AA batteries, which give it approximately 20 hours with the light off and 12 hours with the light on. It seems that the Game Boy Advance SP got its idea from the Game Boy Light.